Can Mentoring Decrease the Brain drain of Academics from Africa?

AbstractIn many countries in Africa, there is increasing competition from many sectors for qualified professionals. In universities, where salaries are not competitive, the retention of teaching and research Faculty is a major concern. The emigration of Sub Saharan African academics and professionals has an impact on the number of Faculty with PhDs and the mentoring of early career academics. Well-qualified university faculty often leave for overseas universities where opportunities appear more attractive. Africa cannot afford such a loss of talent and expertise, which is widespread in spite of universities’ attempts to retain local scholars and leaders. So, can mentoring mitigate against the enormous brain drain from Africa? CARTA, a large scale mentoring programme implemented in 2011 for healthcare academics and administrators in African universities, is presented and shows the effects of a comprehensive support and mentoring, particularly in Public Health